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A man who killed his wife as she pushed their seven-month-old baby in a pram has been handed a life sentence, with a minimum term of 28 years.

Habibur Masum was last month found guilty of murdering Kulsuma Akter, 27, in a “ferocious” knife attack after tracing her to a refuge she was staying in to escape his “violence, jealousy and controlling behaviour”, a court heard.

He was also found guilty of one count of assault, one of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Mr Justice Barry Cotter told Masum: “Having considered the entirety of the evidence, I’m sure that you can be properly described as violent, self-centred, jealous, controlling and coercive with a firmly held view that your wife was not your equal and should do what you told her to do.”

Habibur Masum 
Pic: West Yorkshire Police
Image:
Habibur Masum. Pic: West Yorkshire Police

Ms Akter suffered more than 25 knife injuries after Masum found her through her phone location and confronted her in a street in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on 6 April last year.

The judge added that the “nature and extent” of Masum’s attack “proves beyond all reasonable doubt that you intended to kill her,” and that Ms Akter’s wounds were “unsurvivable, as was your intention”.

Ms Akter’s family called Masum a “monster,” saying in a statement after he was jailed: “We do not wish to utter his name. It does not deserve to be mentioned.

“The monster who savagely took Kulsuma from not only us, but also from her baby son. He will never know her beauty and her kindness.”

Kulsuma Akter.
Pic: Family handout/PA
Image:
Kulsuma Akter. Pic: Family handout/PA

After fleeing the scene, Masum, 27, boarded a bus and CCTV footage showed him smiling, prosecutor Steve Wood KC told Bradford Crown Court.

Masum was arrested after a four-day manhunt, having been found 150 miles away in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where he and Ms Akter lived when they first came to the UK from Bangladesh.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a knife but denied murder, claiming he had intended to kill himself in front of his wife but “totally lost control”.

CCTV footage of Habibur Masum on a bus before he attacked his wife Kulsuma Akter. Pic: West Yorkshire Police / PA
Image:
CCTV footage of Masum on a bus before the attack. Pic: West Yorkshire Police/PA

The court heard during his murder trial that Ms Akter had attempted to escape Masum by staying at a refuge in Bradford after the killer had held a knife to her throat at their home in Greater Manchester.

Masum found out Ms Akter was staying at the refuge through her phone location on Snapchat, and stayed in streets around the hostel, and sent her messages threatening to kill her family members if she did not return to him.

The judge told Masum that “such was your behaviour, Kulsuma was able to predict her own death at your hands”.

In a victim impact statement read to the court on Tuesday, Ms Akter’s brother Imran Hussain said he “cannot comprehend that this has happened” to his “baby sister”.

“My parents still struggle with losing their daughter, their youngest daughter, their baby,” he added.

“There is now such a deep, painful void in our lives. She did not deserve what she experienced at the hands of Masum.

“This for us will be a life sentence.”

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Marie Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said on Tuesday that Masum is “a violent and dangerous man who subjected his estranged wife to violence and domestic abuse causing her to flee their home to live in a safehouse”.

She added: “This was a callous and shocking murder for which Masum has now been jailed by the court.

“We hope the imprisonment of Masum has brought some comfort to the family and friends of Kulsuma.”

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Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

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Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

A third person has died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in the afternoon.

A fourth person was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

They have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

The scene in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, after two people died and two people been seriously injured in a shooting incident. Picture date: Wednesday July 23, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Oliver McVeigh /PA Wire
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The scene in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Pic: Oliver McVeigh /PA Wir

A murder investigation has been launched.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests to be made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the shooting in the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said.

They confirmed that two people had been injured.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at scene, one patient has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance,” the spokesperson added.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Maguiresbridge
The scene in the Drummeer Road area of Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, after two people died and two people been seriously injured in a shooting incident. Picture date: Wednesday July 23, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Oliver McVeigh /PA Wire
Image:
Drummeer Road has been cordoned off. Pic: Oliver McVeigh /PA Wir

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

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DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.

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City traders jailed for interest rate rigging have convictions overturned after 10-year fight

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City traders jailed for interest rate rigging have convictions overturned after 10-year fight

Two traders jailed for rigging benchmark interest rates have had their convictions overturned by the Supreme Court.

Tom Hayes, 45, was handed a 14-year jail sentence – cut to 11 years on appeal – in 2015, which was one of the toughest ever to be imposed for white-collar crime in UK history.

The former Citigroup and UBS trader, along with Carlo Palombo, 46, who was jailed for four years in 2019 over rigging the Euribor interest rates, took their cases to the country’s highest court after the Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals last year.

The Supreme Court unanimously allowed Mr Hayes’ appeal, overturning his 2015 conviction of eight counts of conspiracy to defraud by manipulating Libor, a now-defunct benchmark interest rate.

Tom Hayes and  Carlo Palombo celebrate after their conviction was overturned.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo celebrate after their convictions were overturned. Pic: Reuters

Ex-vice president of euro rates at Barclays bank Mr Palombo’s conviction for conspiring with others to submit false or misleading Euribor submissions between 2005 and 2009 was also quashed.

Mr Hayes, who served five and a half years in prison before being released on licence in 2021, described the “incredible feeling” after the ruling.

“My faith in the criminal justice system at times was likely destroyed and it has been restored by the justices from the Supreme Court today and I think it’s only right that more criminal appeals should be heard at this level,” he said.

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Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo celebrate after their conviction was overturned.
Pic: Reuters
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Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo outside the Supreme Court. Pic: Reuters

Both he and Mr Palombo have been described as “scapegoats” for the 2008 financial crisis, but Mr Hayes said: “We literally had nothing to do with it.”

A spokesperson for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which opposed the appeals, said it would not be seeking a retrial.

In 2012, the SFO began criminal investigations into traders it suspected of manipulating the Libor and Euribor benchmark interest rates.

Former trader Tom Hayes.
Pic: PA
Image:
Former trader Tom Hayes. Pic: PA

Mr Hayes was the first person to be prosecuted by the SFO, which brought prosecutions against 20 people between 2013 and 2019, seven of whom were convicted at trial, two pleaded guilty and 11 were acquitted.

He had also been facing criminal charges in the US but these were dismissed after two other men involved in a similar case had their convictions reversed in 2022.

Mr Hayes, a gifted mathematician who is autistic, was described at his Southwark Crown Court trial as the “ringmaster” at the centre of an enormous fraud to manipulate benchmark interest rates and boost his own six-figure earnings.

He has always maintained that the Libor rates he requested fell within a permissible range and that his conduct was common at the time and condoned by bosses.

Mr Hayes and Mr Palombo argued their convictions depended on a definition of Libor and Euribor which assumes there is an absolute legal bar on a bank’s commercial interests being taken into account when setting rates.

The panel of five Supreme Court justices found there was “ample evidence” for a jury to convict the two men if it had been properly directed.

But in an 82-page judgment, Lord Leggatt said jury direction errors made both convictions unsafe, adding: “That misdirection undermined the fairness of the trial.”

Lawyers representing Mr Hayes and Mr Palombo said the ruling could open the door for the seven others found guilty to have their convictions overturned and that there were grounds for a public inquiry.

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UK and India about to sign landmark trade deal but not everyone’s happy

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UK and India about to sign landmark trade deal but not everyone's happy

As India and Britain look set to sign a free trade agreement (FTA), some industries are disappointed and want a level playing field. 

The Indian cabinet has given its consent to the deal as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to the UK to sign it with his British counterpart Sir Keir Starmer.

The pact, formally called a comprehensive economic and trade agreement, will now have to be ratified by the British parliament, which could take several months.

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For Britain, this is the biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal since it left the European Union. The government says the deal is expected to add £4.8bn to the economy and £2.2bn in wages every year in the long run.

Britain is the sixth-largest investor in India, with cumulative investments of around $36bn. There are at least 1,000 Indian companies operating in the country, employing more than 100,000 people, with a total investment of $2bn.

At a time when countries are trying to navigate the turbulent effects of US President Donald Trump’s tariff upheaval, this pact comes as a great economic boost for both countries.

What’s in the deal

Once made law, the agreement will reduce 90% of tariffs on British exports to India that include whisky, cars, cosmetics, salmon, lamb, medical devices, electrical machinery, soft drinks, chocolate, and biscuits.

India will get a zero-tariff deal on 99% of its tariff lines, covering nearly 100% of trade value. These include clothes, footwear and food products, including frozen prawns. With a zero tariff on textiles and apparel, Indian exports will get the same advantage as countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam.

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India has got concessions on easy mobility for its professionals, including contractual suppliers and intra-corporate transferees with dependents.

The Double Contribution Convention (DCC) that ensures employees temporarily working in the UK for up to 3 years will continue paying social security contributions in their home country.

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Explained: The significance of the UK-India trade deal

India will reduce duties from 100% to 10% for a limited number of imports of cars, while Britain will give access to its markets for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Both countries have agreed to provide national treatment (same treatment as domestic companies) in select services, including telecom, construction and environment.

Areas of concern

But it’s Scotch whisky that has been a bone of contention in the negotiations. The UK has bargained hard, and tariffs have been slashed from 150% to 75% while retaining the issue of maturation of Scotch.

Whisky to be classified as Scotch needs to mature for at least three years. During this process, a small amount – dubbed the “angel’s share” – evaporates due to climate and casks.

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Anant S Iyer, director general of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), representing Indian manufacturers, told Sky News: “India has a tropical climate – the process of maturation is much faster. While in Scotland, the evaporation losses are around 2% a year, here it’s about 10-15% yearly, depending on where you’re distillery is based.

“So, a one-year-old mature Indian whisky could be equal to about a three-year-old Scotch whisky. This non-tariff barrier is something that’s causing us a huge setback.”

Indian manufacturers lose a third of volume over a three-year maturation period, which makes it unviable for them.
Mr Iyer says, “while the FTA does bring cost savings for our blended whiskies, it will also open the floodgates for cheaper products from a plethora of Scotch brands in the UK”.

India is the largest whisky market in the world by volume, and Scotch has just 3% of that.

According to the Scotch Whisky Association, which represents over 90 companies, India is its largest export market by volume, with more than 192 million bottles exported in 2024.

Despite the deal, there is still little clarity on issues of “rules of origin”, a provision to help contain the dumping of goods; UK carbon tax, a concern for India as it could restrict the export of metal products; and the issue of international arbitration.

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